Undergraduate History Courses

HIST 1301. United States History I. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course is a survey of United States history from the first European contacts through the end of the Reconstruction Period. It is designed to cover the broad sweep of United States political, cultural, social, and economic history with emphasis on those periods that have helped to shape a distinctive American character. This course with HIST 1302 will fulfill the legislative requirement of two semesters of United States history.

HIST 1302. United States History II. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course continues the survey of United States history to present times. The emphasis is on the developments that contributed to the growth of modern America. This course with HIST 1301 will fulfill the legislative requirement of two semesters of United States history.

HIST 2301. History of Texas. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This survey course of Texas history addresses social, political, and economic developments from the Spanish colonial period to the present, with special attention to the Spanish and Mexican periods, causes and effects of the Revolutionary and Republic periods, the state’s role in the Civil War, effects of Reconstruction, challenges of the Progressive, World Wars, and Civil Rights movements Prerequisite: HIST 1301 and 1302.

HIST 2321. World Civilizations I. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

A survey of world history from prehistoric times to the beginning of the 18th century. Special attention will be given to the origins of civilization in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East and its development through the ancient, medieval, and early modern eras.

HIST 2322. World Civilizations II. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

A survey of world history from the beginning of the 18th century to the present. Special emphasis will be placed on the rise and fall of Western global influence between the 18th and 20th centuries, and the numerous repercussions of this development.

HIST 3302. The Ancient World. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course offers a survey of the ancient Near East, Greece, the Hellenistic period, and the Roman Republic and Empire. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3303. Europe in the Middle Ages. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course offers a survey of Medieval Europe from the decline of the ancient world to the eve of the Renaissance. Special attention will be given to the examination of economic and social changes underlying the formation and development of medieval civilization. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3309. History of Christianity and Christian Thought to the Reformation. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

An overview of the history of Christianity and Christian thought from founding to the beginnings of the Reformation with particular attention to major themes, movements, events, leaders, and developments within their social, cultural and political contexts. The course also offers an introduction to the central ideas and debates that have shaped the historical development of Christian theologies, practices, and institutions. Credit will not be awarded for more than one of the following courses: PHIL 3309, HIST 3309, and RELI 3309. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3310. Colonial America. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This writing intensive course tracks the history of North America from first contact between American Indians, Europeans, and Africans to 1800. The course emphasizes research into the primary and secondary sources relevant to European-Indian relations; imperial and intertribal rivalries; the emergence of slavery and plantation societies; and the development of the Spanish, English, Dutch, and French mainland colonies. Each student will complete a rigorous original research project that examines this history. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3311. Creating a Nation. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course provides a study of United States history from 1763 to 1815. The course concentrates on the causes and consequences of the American Revolution, the creation of the Constitution, the role of slavery, and the tumultuous political and social events of the young republic. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3312. A Nation Divided, 1812-1865. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This Writing Intensive (WI) course surveys 1812 to 1865 in the United States. Class content will focus on social, cultural, political, technological, and economic changes and developments up to the election of 1860, and their effects on the American Civil War. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3315. America in the Gilded Age, 1865-1918. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

In the years following the Civil War, the United States faced dramatic political and economic challenges. As the country grappled with the need to protect the rights of newly-freed African Americans, it also had to confront violent social convulsions as robber barons and workers’ unions tried to assert their place in the newly industrialized country. In addition to examining the clashes between freedmen and southerners, workers and bosses, and immigrants and nativists, this course will also examine reform movements such as Greenbackers, Edward Bellamy, Henry George, the Populists, and the Progressives. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3317. U.S. Military History. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course examines the evolution of American warfighting philosophy from the colonial period to the twenty-first century. Students will explore key historical conflicts and trace the operational and technological advances that have shaped U.S. military actions of the past. This course will also highlight the evolution of doctrinal thought, specifically the rise of maneuver warfare theory and understanding the framework of decision-making and adaptability in modern warfare. This course is compliant with U.S. Army TRADOC Regulation 350-13. Credit will not be awarded for both HIST 3317 and STRG 3317. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3319. History of American Ranching and Agriculture. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course explores the history of ranching and agriculture in the United States from pre-colonial times to the present. Students will examine the evolution of agricultural practices and ranching culture, and their social, economic, environmental, and political impacts. The course will focus on how these industries shaped the development of the nation, the people involved, and their contributions to the United States. Prerequisite: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3323. Women in United States History. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course examines changing experiences of women in the United States from the colonial period through the present. Commonly explored topics and themes include but are not limited to: political power and equal rights, economics and labor, citizenship, family patterns, media and popular culture, and intersectionality. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3324. Making Modern America, 1919-Present. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This course covers the important social, political, and cultural changes which affected the United States in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, beginning at the end of World War I. In particular, this course will examine how the United States developed from a parochial, rural society into a modern, centralized state; how the United States became a global superpower; and the disintegration of the American political order in the twenty-first century. Prerequisite: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3325. The Rise of Early-Modern Europe, 1453-1789. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course covers European history from the end of the Byzantine empire in 1453 to the French Revolution in 1789. This course will explain the social, economic, and political processes beginning from the mid-fifteenth century to the late eighteenth century that took Europe from the periphery of Eurasia to the center of the international order. Students will learn the major historical events and processes that contributed to the rise and expansion of early modern Europe such as the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Age of Exploration, the Rise of Absolutism, the Scientific Revolution, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Industrial/Industrious Revolution. All of these factors and more contributed to Europe taking a place of global hegemony that it maintained going into the nineteenth century. Prerequisite: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3332. Latin America After Independence. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course on the history of Modern Latin America discusses the American global hegemony, conflicts among civilizations, North and South separation, and Latin American influence in the Hispanic world. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3335. History of Mexico. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This course offers a survey of the political, economic, social, and cultural history of Mexico that includes pre-Columbian civilizations, especially the Maya and Aztec, the Spanish colonial era, and the national period. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3337. History of Modern Africa. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course surveys significant developments in modern African history. It covers the period from 1884, when European powers colonized the African continent, up to the end of the twentieth century. Course topics and themes include Africa on the eve of European colonization, the scramble and partition of Africa, African reactions to European colonization, systems of colonial governance, Africa and the two World Wars, decolonization in Africa, the history of development in Africa, and Africa and the Cold War. Prerequisite: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 3340. Historical Methods. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course explores why we study history and examines the nature of the discipline and the concepts basic to all historical thinking, including causation, periodization, change and continuity, the roles of social forces and individuals, and problems of interpretation, accuracy, and truth. As a part of this examination, the course will introduce students to historiography and expose students to major developments and turning points in the discipline, especially since the nineteenth century. The course will also cover the process of historical research and writing and will introduce students to career options. Prerequisite: 9 hours of HIST.

HIST 4085. History Seminar. 1-3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 1-3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Individual instruction in selected fields of history. The course will stress reports and wide readings in the field selected. Prerequisites: Senior classification and HIST 3340, or approval of department head. May be taken more than once for credit.

HIST 4086. History Problems. 1-6 Credit Hours (Lecture: 0 Hours, Lab: 1-6 Hours).

Independent reading, research and discussion. Entry into this course will be arranged with a history faculty advisor. Prerequisite: HIST 3340 or permission of department head.

HIST 4300. World War II and the Holocaust. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course offers an examination of European history between the end of the First World War to the aftermath of World War II. Special attention will be devoted to the rise of Hitler in the early 1930s and the origins, process, and consequences of the Holocaust. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4301. United States and the World. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This course offers a history of how world events influenced American history from 1789 to the present. The course will discuss American diplomatic and social reactions to major world occurrences. Emphasis will be on the twentieth century, particularly on the two world wars and the Cold War era. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4303. History of the American Borderlands. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course examines the history of the North American borderlands from the sixteenth century to the present. It takes a comparative approach, examining the history of the US-Mexico and US-Canada borderlands in relation to one another. It addresses several key themes, including the establishment of formal legal regimes in the borderlands; changing notions of citizenship; immigration policies and experiences; community tensions; the rise of border cities as sites of tourism and vice; Texas as a border state; crime and smuggling along the borderline; representations of the border in media and popular culture; and the political and economic relationships between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4305. Ideas in Action: American Social Thought from the Progressive Era to the Present. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This reading and writing intensive seminar offers students the opportunity to encounter the ideas that have been cornerstones of intellectual debate in the United States since the late nineteenth century. From the Pragmatists (and the progressive era) to the neoconservatives of the more recent past, ideas have been embedded within the more available world of policy, politics and major historical developments. Participants in this course will survey a wide array of intellectual debates that have been essential components of American history. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4307. History Careers Outside the Classroom. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course offers an introduction to and examination of the choices available for historians who seek careers outside of classroom teaching, including but not limited to the exploration of career paths available in public history, historic preservation and archives, public service, law, editing and publishing, technology, and business. Class activities and materials will emphasize career and professional development, skills assessment, and preparation for professional settings and graduate school. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4311. Research in American Political History. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This writing intensive seminar offers students the opportunity to encounter vital American political history developments since the founding of the United States. All students will carry out extensive reading and research in primary and secondary resources. Those sources will have direct relevance to the research project the student pursues. Topics for the semester’s research will vary based upon instructor prerogatives. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4313. A People's History of the United States. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This course addresses the larger social, political, and economic forces that challenged everyday Americans and explores the many and varied forms of agency they employed to confront those forces. The focus of this course will vary each semester to emphasize different topics and time periods. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4314. History of the American West. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course explores the history of the American West. It examines political, social, cultural, and environmental issues in the American West, with an emphasis on how the region was shaped by Indigenous American societies, European exploration and colonization, the expansion of the United States, and the development of the modern West. The course will also address key themes such as settler colonialism, demographics, labor, environmental change, and the myths and realities of the West. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4315. Slavery in the Americas. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course traces enslavement and emancipation in the Americas from the 1500s through the 1800s. It covers a wide range of themes, places, and eras, such as various forms of Black and Indigenous captivity; the trans-Atlantic, intra-American, and Indigenous slave trades; the centrality of enslavement to colonial empires and nation-states; social, cultural, and religious life in enslaved communities; and post-emancipation society. To bring this complex history to life, students will engage with a variety of materials. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4324. National Histories. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Each time this course is offered, it will examine the history of a particular state. May be repeated for credit when topics vary. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4327. History of the British Empire. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course is designed to familiarize students with some of the major themes surrounding the rise, global growth, and fall of the British Empire. Through this course, students will develop a broader and deeper understanding of the following issues: factors for the rise of the empire; its global spread; the economics of empire; the administrative systems used in the empire; the experiences of the colonized peoples; and its eventual downfall in the twentieth century. In the end, students will also be introduced to the lingering legacies of the British empire across the world. Students will be expected to develop advanced reading and analytical skills as well as a better understanding of parts of the world that were once under imperial rule. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4330. History of Modern Europe, 1789-Present. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This course covers European history from the French Revolution in 1789 to the present.  This course will explain the social, economic, and political processes beginning in the late eighteenth century that transformed Europe and brought it to its height of imperial power before rapidly losing these empires in the second half of the twentieth century. Students will learn the major historical events and processes that contributed to the rise and expansion of modern Europe such as capitalism, revolution, conservatism, nationalism, fascism, communism, imperialism, decolonization, and internationalism. Prerequisite: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4343. Contemporary History of the United States. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This course will cover the last fifty years of American history, with an eye on explaining how historical developments have led to current debates and controversies. A close eye will be paid to the ways in which politics has changed in the last fifty years, how the treatment of minority groups has changed in the last fifty years, and on the origins of contemporary issues currently being discussed in American politics and culture. The class will also discuss the difficulties which are inherent in doing history so near the present and teach students how to historicize current events.

HIST 4331. World Since 1919. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This writing intensive course explores major trends in world history following World War I, including the impact of the Great Depression, the rise of fascism, World War II and its impact, the Cold War, decolonization, and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. Events of the latter twentieth century receive special emphasis. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4332. Decolonization, Development, and the Cold War. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course introduces students to the history of global north-south relations since 1945 through an exploration of three inter-related themes, namely: Decolonization; Development; and the Cold War. The focus is on the decolonization of European empires in Asia and Africa; the origins, major developments, and failure of the development agenda, both colonial and post-colonial; and the globalization of the Cold War rivalry (between the USA and the USSR) to the so-called Third World (Africa, Asia, and Latin America). By focusing on these three inter-related themes, the aim is to help students understand historical developments from a global perspective, and that the world is more inter-connected than they previously thought or viewed it. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4350. Special Topics in History. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course offers a study of important periods, regions, and themes in history. May be repeated when the topic varies. Prerequisites: HIST 1301 and 1302; for History majors only, HIST 3340, which can be taken concurrently.

HIST 4384. Practicum, Field Problem or Internship. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Supervised professional activities in workplaces where historians find professional careers including museums, historic preservation, cultural resource management, archival administration, teaching, parks, oral history, corporate history, and editing and publishing. Will count as an elective but not for teacher certification or completion of the history major. Prerequisites: 6 hours of HIST, HIST 3340, and HIST 4307. May be repeated once for credit.

HIST 4390. History Capstone. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This course requires students to synthesize knowledge and apply concepts and skills acquired in previous history courses. Students will identify a research question, consult relevant primary and secondary sources, analyze those sources, formulate an interpretation, and write a paper to communicate their conclusions. The topic of the Capstone will change every semester and will be determined by the instructor. Preferably, students will take this course in the last spring semester in which they are completing coursework. Prerequisites: 6 hours of advanced History including HIST 3340; for Secondary Education majors only, 12 hours of HIST and HIST 3340.